DON'T LOOK BEHIND YOU

Lead Balloons at Bad Attitudes on The Man Who Will Not Die:

In the 17 three-way trial heats released since 9/12 by polling organizations whose names are not “Gallup”, Bush is averaging just a 3 point lead.

Shaky incumbent clinging to a negligible lead over a challenger who has failed to close the deal with many voters — the shades of 1980 are getting stronger by the day.

Moreover, given that Kerry just will not fade, the frustration level of the Bush campaign at their failure to shake Kerry must be monumental. And, given that Shifty George himself is at his worst under any sort of pressure or challenge and that he in fact organizes his life to avoid pressure — the former cheerleader who didn’t want to compete to be on the team, who brings his own pillow on the road, who spent the first week after the 2000 vote whining about Gore’s withdrawal of his concession, and who abdicated his office and ran like a rabbit on 9/11 and 9/12 while Rummy and Giuliani held the nation together with baling wire and chewing gum — he must be especially unpleasant and nasty to be around right now.

It’s a “Jason” situation: no matter how many times they kill Kerry, wherever they go, whatever closet, mirror, drawer they open, whatever room they walk into, whatever face in the crowd they glimpse from the limo — it’s Him. He’s just there, and you can’t get away from Him.

I’ve noted this creepy, snake-like, patient, omnipresent, waiting, quality of Kerry's before. And it makes his opponents make mistakes. Just ask Howard Dean or Richard Gephardt.

This has not been the September Karl Rove planned, and it won’t be the October or the November, either.